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On March 12, 2003, in the J.B. Chapman Memorial Chapel at Nazarene Theological Seminary (NTS), many people gathered for the Inaugural Chapel of the Wynkoop Center for Women in Ministry: members of the NTS community, area pastors, and friends of Ralph & Mildred Wynkoop. The Advisory Council of the Wynkoop Center chose to emphasize two themes in the service: mutuality in ministry and reconciliation. Seventeen men and women assisted with the service, including three married couples involved in pastoral ministry together. They symbolized God’s call for men and women to serve side-by-side in the work of the Church. From the opening song which said, “Let us be the generation of reconciliation,” to the celebration of the Eucharist, the service emphasized the biblical truth that “there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free, neither male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28, TNIV). Judi Schwanz provided an Introduction to the Wynkoop Center, including a brief introduction of the first programs to be launched by the Wynkoop Center for Women in Ministry. Dr. Schwanz is the Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling at NTS and the Director of the Wynkoop Center for Women in Ministry. Gordon Wetmore shared with the congregation his Mildred & Ralph Wynkoop: A Pastoral Perspective. The Wynkoops were members of the Kansas City First Church of the Nazarene while Dr. Wetmore was the pastor. He is also the former president of Nazarene Theological Seminary. Jeren Rowell preached the Wynkoop Center Inaugural Sermon, “The Law of Love.” Rev. Rowell is the pastor of the Shawnee Church of the Nazarene in the Kansas City metropolitan area and a member of the Wynkoop Center Advisory Council.
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